Like many of you, I've been absolutely OBSESSED with the Team Canada fleece. As a Canadian myself, I knew I had to make it my next project. I know a lot of people have made similar jackets with iron-on patches, but I had a really hard time finding patches in the size I wanted (they were all too big and I was worried you couldn't see all the letters when my hands were down by my side). I also was a bit hesitant about ironing polyester fleece... trust me, ironing a synthetic fabric doesn't always turn out the way you want it to, and I was worried it would make the fibers less fluffy. I cut my letters out of adhesive-backed felt, and it was still super easy and beginner-friendly.
In this post, I'll share my materials, templates, and step-by-step progress photos so you can make your own.
What you'll need:
White sherpa fleece jacket of your choice. I bought the Fluffy Yarn Fleece Full-Zip Jacket from Uniqlo because it was the easiest for me to find locally and I loved the diagonal shoulder seam silhouette. Note that this jacket doesn't have the zippered breast pocket that's canon in the original! I don't personally mind, but if you wanted a jacket that's more true to the show, you'll want to find something else.
Adhesive red felt sheets (adhesive sheets are the easiest but if you can't find sheets with adhesive, regular felt will do but you'll need fabric glue)
Printer, paper (or sticker paper if you have it), and this free PDF template
Scissors
Cut-away Stabilizer (optional)
Red bias tape (optional)
Sewing machine with red thread OR needle & thread if you don't have a machine you can hand sew
First you'll want to download and print out the template. Use sticker paper if you have it because it'll make it a bit easier to stick to the felt but regular paper will do.
Roughly cut out each letter and stick it onto the red felt. If you used regular paper, you can pin or clip it in place, or just hold it in place as you cut around it. Use scissors and cut out the felt in the shape of the letter. Cutting out the negative space in letter A can be a bit tricky, but you can fold the felt in half to cut a small slit and then carefully cut around it.
Once you have all your letters and maple leaves cut, peel away the printer paper template NOT the felt adhesive backing, and position your letters how you want them. You can use a ruler to make sure it's straight.
Tip: if you print out an extra copy of the template, you can use that to stick onto the fleece to get the approximate positions of where you want everything. I highly recommend wearing it at this point to make sure all the letters are visible the way you want it, and the maple leaf is where you want it on the arm.
Once you're happy with the positioning, peel off the adhesive backing of the red felt and carefully stick them onto the fleece. Do the same with the maple leaves on the sleeves. For the maple leaf placement, if you are sewing using a machine, I suggest a higher placement on the bicep so that you have an easier time getting it through the machine. Less of an issue if you are hand-sewing. If you don't have the adhesive-backed felt, you can just use regular fabric glue to glue them on.
Cut out a strip of red felt (approximately 0.5 inches). If it's not long enough, cut out 2 strips. You can sew the ends together like I did before you stick it on the collar, or you can just overlap them a bit (it won't be super noticeable).
Make sure the ends meet up at the front zipper, and cut out a small strip of felt the same width as the zipper pull and stick it on.
OPTIONAL: Instead of felt, you can use bias binding if you want. It's a sturdier material, and pre-cut so you don't run the risk of the strip being wonky. I was originally going to use bias binding, but then decided against it because I wanted all the red detail to match exactly.
Once all the pieces are on, you're ready to sew!
Which stitch you use depends entirely on you - you can zigzag for a more traditionally applique / embroidered look, but depending on how fluffy your fleece is, it may not look as clean as you'd like. You may need to experiment a little bit. I used a straight stitch and since my felt had adhesive backing, I had no issues with the edges lifting.
OPTIONAL: You can use embroidery or tear away stabilizer to keep the stitches from puckering. Depending on how thick your fleece is and whether it's already lined, you may or may not need it. It's optional, but you may find it easier to get clean lines using it, especially if your fleece is extra soft and fluffy. Cut out enough to cover each of your letters and pin it to the back side of the fleece, and stitch over it.
Carefully stitch around all the letters and maple leaves, including the inside of the D and As.
For the neck detail, I stitched to the left and right of the felt strip. Again, the most important thing here is that you try your best to match the ends at the front zipper.
And that's it! Super easy beginner-friendly project that's totally doable by hand if you don't have a machine. If you have any questions, shoot me an email or DM and I'll do my best to help you out. I hope you give it a try and let me know how it turns out!
